Chasing 70 Degrees

Chasing 70 Degrees is a popular expression full-time RVers use to describe this transient lifestyle.  They plan their itinerary with this weather consideration in mind.

There are several reasons why Chasing 70 Degrees is a good travel guide:

1. Retirees, such as ourselves, are more susceptible to the cold. We chill faster and thaw slower. Seventy degrees is near perfect: not too hot and not too cold.
2. The chance of encountering severe weather is reduced when the temperatures remain moderate. Snow is not an issue, of course. But severe thunderstorms threaten safe driving conditions on travel days.
3. A temperate climate reduces the need for a heater or air conditioner. Comfortable temperatures are maintained simply by opening or closing the windows. This is particularly helpful if boondocking (that is, dry camping without any hookups to electric, water, or sewer... an affordable way to travel).

This past week, after experiencing winter weather conditions on the Texas Gulf, we better understood this pithy advice. And we began to brainstorm what that trip might look like for us.

Intercoastal Waterway - Sargent Beach, TX

Our One Year Plan

I begin any brainstorming session with a "What If" question and see where it leads me.

What if... we created a route that adhered to this rule? 

• Where would go? 
• When? 
• For how long? 

While most might begin such a trip at the start of a new year, I chose to begin our journey in October since we are most excited to experience 70 degree winters. So, here is a draft proposal of a hypothetical trip we might enjoy some year.

October: leave Kansas City and head east. We would stop in Nashville for an extended period of time to visit the kids and then continue to the Atlantic Coast. North and South Carolina should be nice this time of year.

November: continue down the Atlantic Coast through Florida: St. Augustine, Orlando (for Epcot's wine and food festival), Cape Canaveral, Fort Lauderdale, and Hollywood Beach (where Geoff's parents used to live). 

December: make our way around the Florida peninsula and head up the Gulf side. I'm not sure we will go as far as the Florida Keys, but we will definitely check out retirement communities near Tampa, such as  Fort Myers, Sarasota, and Clearwater. Of course, we will want to spend time with family during the holidays, but this brainstorming phase focuses on the big picture. We will have plenty of time to work out the details 😊

January: we will continue through the Florida panhandle and head west on Interstate 10. We love the beach and plan to hug the coast as long as possible, visiting the shorelines of Alabama and Mississippi.

February: we will follow I-10 into Texas where I'm sure we will revisit Sargent Beach. But there is so much to Texas (not to mention my family roots) that I anticipate we will veer off that highway and visit other well-known cities such as San Antonio, Austin, and Waco.

March: I-10 will carry us out of Texas and into New Mexico and Arizona. A trip to the Grand Canyon is at the top of the bucket list, but since we have not visited America's great southwest, I anticipate several stops along the way.

April: I-10 will drop us off in San Diego, where we will spend time touring the city's fun sites before heading our way up the Pacific Coast. On the other side of L.A., we will pick up highway 101 and slowly make our way north. Neither Geoff nor I know this state well, but all three of our children love it! We plan to take our time and experience a lot of the diverse activities California offers.

May: wine tasting month! We want to visit the wineries of Sonoma County, Napa Valley, and Oregon State. We don't want to rush but savor every moment -- from driving through beautiful vineyards -- to indulging in wine tastings -- to pairing the perfect bottle with a mouth-watering entree. 

June: we should reach Washington state by the first of the month and head back east through Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Yellowstone is a definite bucket list stop.

July: we will continue south to Utah (so many beautiful sites to see plus the added joy of visiting my dearest friend) and then into Colorado. I'm not sure a month will be long enough to experience the majestic wonder of these two Rocky Mountain states.

August: in the dog days of summer we will once again head north and visit South Dakota, Minnesota, and perhaps Wisconsin.

September: we could return home ... or perhaps keep heading east and reach New England in time to see spectacular fall foliage. If that's the case... I see us heading back down I-95 to Florida and perhaps repeating a similar route the following year.

Rough calculations reveal we will log about 10,000-12,000 miles on this year-long excursion. That translates to MANY hours driving from one point to the next. And I still haven't recovered from the on-road incident three weeks ago. I'm not sure my anxiety can handle so many travel days. Does anyone know a good antidote --- prayer, meditation, drugs??

Help Us Plan...

While we definitely have a few bucket list destinations, we are woefully ignorant of all the fantastic places, events, and activities this country has to offer. We would LOVE some input! And we thought it might be fun to create an itinerary of 65 places to visit before we turn 65 (for one of us, that is about two years from now) 😏

Please comment below (or on our Facebook page) and let us know which places you recommend we visit on our great American road trip.